Regulators OK Ohio nuke plant's report on cracks

TOLEDO, Ohio 
Federal regulators say they agree with an Ohio utility company's assessment that cracks found in the concrete shell of a nuclear plant along Lake Erie can be traced to a blizzard nearly 35 years ago.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it accepts findings from FirstEnergy Corp. that say a lack of exterior weatherproofing coating at the plant caused the concrete to crack.

Regulators said Thursday they also approve of FirstEnergy's plan for the shell's continuing safety that involves applying a new coating and performing additional tests at the Davis-Besse (BEHS'-ee) nuclear plant near Toledo.

The plant reopened in December after a shutdown following the cracks' discovery last fall.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich (koo-SIN'-ich), a longtime opponent of the plant, says he doesn't believe that weather caused the cracks.